Hella Stella

Happy 2011, internet!

My New Years was very nice, but had some odd twists and turns. I haven't really caught up on my sleep either, so I've got zombie eyes and I'm fighting off a headache. I'm looking forward to napping, whenever that happens....

(Please let it happen.)


One good thing that came from the holiday is the fact that I finished setting up my new studio equipment. I now spend at least a few hours per week playing with my digital drum machine. Scary fun. Suppose I should actually get some recording done, though.



I took down my Christmas tree before NYE in an attempt to get the house in order, and then I regretted it almost immediately. I think I'll wait a bit longer next year. Up around Dec. 1, down around Jan. 1. That makes more sense. You only get a tree once a year, after all.

I made this bunting sometime over Christmas break with scrap paper and ribbon. It's uplifting and pretty - maybe it will stay up for winter.

CUTE. Those are some awesome bulldogs right there. They look like I interrupted an important conversation. I'd like to think it was about how to kill the resilient squeak in that yellow pig to the right.

I've been reflecting a lot on 2010, since it was a year of absolute madness, and wondering what this next year will bring. A theme kept coming back to me about how I want to live : quality over quantity. In every way possible. With material stuff, with food, with gigs, with friends. Especially friends.

I'm at the point where I'll gladly take my small, close knit group of friends over just about anything. This past year, I've caught myself holding on to old friendships that seem to have expired, hoping that they will come back to life. Maybe I'm overly sentimental, but I hate to think of friendships dying out just because of spotty communication. Friendship is something to be nurtured! Still, I'm tired of the non-responsive and the one-sided nature of this hanging on. It's such a letdown. This will be my year to let go and appreciate those I have.

I have some very simple goals for 2011, and I'm not going to sweat it if they don't pan out.

- Pay down debt. Lord knows how much or how little, but whatever I can. I want it gone, and this is the year to start.

- Create. Ideally an album, but at very least give myself room to write songs, play with new instruments, do arts and crafts, and bake. I'm already well on my way.

- Enjoy this house. It was a process to buy it and fix it, but now I want to enjoy it. I reached a major life goal in buying a duplex, and I plan to love every inch of this home. Included in this goal: buy myself a hammock when the winter is done and soak up that backyard. After all, a giant motherfucking cement garage was standing there only a year ago! Imagine that.

I guess those are my "resolutions," but whatever you want to call them, they will be rewarding to fulfill.